Urban design aspects heavily influenced the design of Pacific Haus in Hamburg’s Holzdamm. The office building needed to relate to the varying heights and alignment of the surrounding buildings. The key to the solution was to divide the building into two elements: a lower, five-storey building reacts to the clear lines of the neighbouring buildings to the north, by continuing their height and streetfront. As it continues, the height of the building increases towards the rear, with the seven-storey section, which is set back a couple of metres from the street front. It’s subtle transition displays respect for the architecture and alignment of the buildings to the south. Both elements are thus harminiously combined: the front section merges elegantly into the higher set back facade. The independant connections to the adjacent neighbouring buildings are formally resolved within the central section. The building also integrates itself into it’s context, on it’s back-side: the lower buildings behind the street building prevent an overdevelopment of the city’s embankment area. Thus, a relaxed, green landscaped zone acts as a buffer between the offices and the railroad.